Unanimous resolution will help J&K regime
The recent unanimous resolution passed by the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly to ensure the safe return of Kashmiri Pandits is welcome. That all political parties showed rare unity and moved beyond affiliations to pass the resolution is commendable. With the Opposition’s support, the onus now lies with the State Government to create a conducive atmosphere for their return. Indeed, this is a historic moment for the Pandits as a resolution was long overdue and was neglected by successive Governments over the years. Crucial among the support was that of the National Conference, led by Omar Abdullah, who asked the Government to walk the extra mile, to pass a similar resolution for other communities, including that of Sikhs who, along with the Kashmiri Pandits migrated from Kashmir due to the turmoil. It is now the responsibility of both the Union Government and the State to ensure normalcy in the troubled parts of Jammu & Kashmir — the focus should primarily be on those pockets where the Pandits lived before. The time has come for both the Governments to sideline the fossilised separatist leaders who have worked for the Pakistani agenda for decades in the garb of State interests. This time, their protests should not make inroads into the implementation of this progressive resolution.
It is ironical that SOS International, an organisation of displaced persons of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), termed the resolution as “laughable”. SOS chairman Rajiv Chuni said, “There is no need to bring such resolution for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir valley as they are very much part and parcel of Kashmir.” The reason behind his anger is that the Pandits are already a part of the Kashmiri society; only conditions were made so that they could not live anymore there. Meanwhile, as the Union Government had already promised to rehabilitate the PoK refugees, it should come up with a plausible solution to integrate them into the State. Else, the very question of these displaced people will again be lost in Government files like before. Needless to say, the Kashmiri Pandit issue has been widely discussed and pursued, unlike the PoK refugee problem. This time we need to hammer home a solution for the latter as well.
The Kashmiri Pandits, the Hindus, the Sikhs and some Muslims started migrating from the State in 1989 to various parts of the country and even abroad. But the exodus of the Pandits has so far created the greatest uproar than the rest of the minority communities from the State. In fact, the way the Pandit community was hounded by militants, it was almost like a full-blown drive to finish them forever. Jammu & Kashmir should realise that it is no exception to the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious mosaic of this great nation. The Government should not allow the radicals to block the home-coming of Pandits and other minorities yet again.